


Ace & Huntzberger's Greatest Adventure

by RedLights



Category: Gilmore Girls
Genre: Canon Continuation, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fix-It, Fluff, Multi, Post-Canon, Post-Canon Fix-It, Pregnancy, Semi-Canonical Character, Unplanned Pregnancy, a year in the life, gilmore girls - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-04
Updated: 2018-03-05
Packaged: 2018-09-06 11:41:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8749288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedLights/pseuds/RedLights
Summary: I wasn't satisfied with the ending of a Year in the Life, so I'm writing the next season as I imagine it. You should probably only read this if you really like Logan and Rory together, because I *really* like Logan and Rory together.





	1. Fall - September

At least she knew it was Logan's. But Logan was going to get married, and she wasn't seeing him anymore. She couldn't.  
She was also pretty sure she couldn't raise a baby, but if her mother had done it at 16, she could certainly do it at 32. Probably.  
Her mother had reacted pretty much as she'd expected: "You're not gonna run away and raise it on your own, are you?" Rory had laughed, a short, mirthless sound.  
But then she'd taken a deep breath, eyes closed, and asked if it was Logan's. Rory had rolled her eyes.  
  
"Of course it is, Mom." Her mother looked at her, and she tried not to remember seeing the same look years ago, after a very unkempt Dean had hurried out the kitchen door. She tried not to think about how very unavailable the men in her life always seemed to be.  
  
"He's engaged."  
Rory nodded.  
  
"He lives in London."  
Rory nodded.  
  
Then she realized what question would inevitably come next - _are you going to tell him?_ \- and felt her body sag under its weight. Her mother pulled her into her arms and Rory had cried, the way she'd cried as a teenager.

 

She stood in her old bedroom now, pacing. Her bridesmaid's dress was still on, but unzipped. There was a mug of decaf coffee in one hand and her cellphone in the other, the latter feeling like it weighed several pounds more than it should have.

It was a beautiful wedding. It also wasn't, because "beautiful" wasn't really the right word to apply to an almost all-night, glittery, highly lubricated celebration. But as they said their vows - no-nonsense and traditional ones, of course - Rory had glanced at Luke, and immediately looked away. Luke looked at her mother the way Logan had once looked at her.

Maybe he still did, but she hadn't seen it; maybe he felt it still. She knew he felt something, but it obviously wasn't enough for him to leave Odette. (Rory thought to herself, not for the first time, what an absurd yet perfectly suitable name Odette was.) She'd never asked him to leave her, and she wouldn't. He owed her nothing, and they were nothing. He'd framed her face, taking a mental picture to remember her by, and she'd known she wouldn't see him again.  
But there was a tiny bundle of cells inside her with his DNA, and what the hell was she supposed to do about that?

She had to keep it. She also couldn't keep it. She didn't have a paying job, and those were generally required for raising a child. Of course, a rich partner would be a suitable substitute for an income of her own... but Rory knew that wasn't an option. He was taken, and he would never come back to her.  
Her phone was still in her hand, lying limply against the bed. Rory was flat on her back, staring at the ceiling, praying to coffee and the New York Times and The Bangles that this was a bad dream.  
  
Then there was a knock on the door.  
  
She walked dazedly to open it, briefly noting that it was already morning and she hadn't slept. She barely registered the man in front of her before running to the bathroom and throwing up a cup of coffee and several pop-tarts. Logan rushed in behind her and pulled her hair back. She stood when she finished, brushed her teeth, and went back to sit on her bed, eyes determinedly on the ground.

  
Several minutes went by before he spoke.  
"I left Odette."

Rory looked up.  
"I'm pregnant."

 

\-- 

 

She had burst into tears when she'd told him, from the relief, and maybe too from the fear of what he might say. He'd instantly come and wrapped his arms around her, and she eventually stilled, grounded in his strong arms. It was a few minutes before she had the courage to look up at him. "I don't want anything from you, I just thought you should know. You don't have to say or do anything."

"Don't be ridiculous, Rory," he said, seeming exasperated, frustrated.  She took in the way his hair shined as a he ran his hand through it, the way he clenched his jaw when he was trying to control himself, the line between his brows that she ached to smooth out. "I came here because I couldn't stand the idea of never seeing you again. I've been in love with you for ten years. I'm not going anywhere."

Then she kissed him with every ounce of strength she had. She felt like she was burning up with need and relief and love, and Rory had his clothes off before he could protest. Afterwards, she fell asleep in his arms, Logan stroking her hair with one hand and holding the other flat against her stomach.

Lorelai found them several hours later. Luke was at the diner - she'd insisted she didn't need a honeymoon - and she'd come home to check on Rory. Logan saw her and blushed, but carefully slid out from under Rory and put his clothes on. They sat in the living room, neither one speaking. Lorelai's blue eyes bored holes in his head, but he fought the urge to shrink into the sofa. Finally she asked cautiously, "Did she say anything to you?"

Logan nodded. "I know. And as long as Rory will have me, I'm staying."

Lorelai seemed to mull this information over for a few moments before she spoke again. "Well, you're a better guy than I gave you credit for, I guess."

He smiled faintly. She took a deep breath and then decided any further conversation required coffee. When she returned, bearing two steaming mugs, the steely Momma Bear look was gone, replaced with what Logan interpreted as a determinedly accepting expression. They talked about nothing for a while - his work, her work, Rory's job, the weather - and then a sleepy Rory walked in. She sat down next to Logan and reached for his coffee wearily, which he promptly snatched from her.

"You're supposed to limit caffeine intake when you're pregnant!" Rory frowned, then looked down at her still-flat tummy with some resentment.

Lorelai watched their interaction with interest. Logan had mentioned a sister with kids, but she didn't realize he would be so informed. He almost seemed prepared for this, which she would never have expected. She also didn't realize how easily Rory would fall into a rhythm with him; they sat comfortably close to each other, and they had the body language of two people who spent every day together. It had taken them no time at all to become a couple again, and they seemed to have picked up where they left off. She had known Rory loved him, but wasn't sure if she was heartened or worried at how much she seemed to trust him.  
  
"So, Luke's for breakfast, Mrs. Danes?" Rory said cheerily, though still looking tired.  
  
"I am not changing my name! Gloria is ashamed of you." Lorelai responded.   
  
"Well, she and Betty Friedan can learn to take a joke, then. I'll just go change and then we'll go."

Lorelai and Logan were alone again, save the elephant in the room. Lorelai decided to address it, in order to get its stupid wrinkly gray face out of her living room.  
"Are you going to marry her?"

Logan chuckled. "Respectfully, Lorelai, I've been trying to for eight years. Now she may finally accept me, I won't back out."

Lorelai gave a small smile just as Rory entered the room. She grabbed her purse and the three set off.

 

Rory had scarfed down two waffles, much to Logan's amusement, before he had finished one.

"It's not a competition, Ace," he said, chuckling. Lorelai responded: "Uh, yes it is, and she's winning. Better get your act together if you're gonna try to keep up with us."

Luke came over just then with a pot of coffee. He looked appraisingly at Logan, then turned to the Gilmore women. "So we like him now?" They both nodded, and he smiled. "Hey, Logan, nice to see you." Logan smiled uneasily back.

Then Luke reached over to fill Rory's mug and she intercepted him. "Decaf for me, please, Luke."  
He looked at her like she'd grown a third eye. "Decaf? You've never asked for decaf since the day you turned eleven. What are you, pregnant or something?" Rory and Logan made eye contact, then looked at Luke.  
  
He swiftly put down the coffee pot and made a move to strangle Logan. "What in the hell do you think you're doing knocking up -"  
  
"Hey hey hey, we're happy about this! They're gonna have a baby Luke, be happy for them."  
  
He looked at his wife, then withdrew his hand, which was now dangerously close to Logan's throat. He sighed and his face softened. "Alright. Congratulations, Rory."

"Thanks, Luke." Luke shook his head, glared at Logan, then walked away to get decaf.

Less-than-ideally, Babette and Miss Patty were at a nearby table, and rushed over. "Oh, honey, we're just so happy for you, I can hardly stand it!"  
"That baby is gonna be just beautiful, I mean look at you two!" Miss Patty added, her gaze lingering on Logan. He was smiling but looking not a little apprehensively at Rory, awaiting her reaction, his hand on her thigh.  
She grinned, though, and stood to hug the women. "Thanks, guys. I love you both." When she sat down again, Babette exclaimed "I gotta go tell Morey!" and Miss Patty followed closely behind her, saying something about the Gazette.

  
Lorelai placed her hand on her daughter's warmly. "How you feelin, kid?"

Rory took a deep breath, but responded, "Pretty good, I think." She squeezed her mother's hand, then looked at Logan, and saw the love and pride in his eyes. Her smile widened and she returned to her waffles.

 

\--

 

That night, two couples lay in bed in the Gilmore house. Luke and Lorelai lay awake, Lorelai staring at the ceiling, Luke staring at her.  
"How do you feel about this?"

She shook her head. "I still don't know if I trust him. I know he loves her, but I guess I've seen too much heartbreak."

Luke pulled her towards him, wrapping one big arm around her waist. "It just takes time." Lorelai nodded, and he kissed her forehead.

"What about you? How do you feel about this?" She asked, gesturing to the two of them.  
He kissed her in response, the kind of kiss that left her weak, and she smiled. "Well okay then," she said, and pulled him back to her.

 

Downstairs, Rory and Logan lay with their limbs tangled together. Neither of them had spoken for a long time, just laid pressed into each other, getting used to the feeling again of belonging only to each other.

Logan opened his mouth to speak, the glimmer in his eyes suggesting a joke about to be made, but Rory pressed her lips to his. He quickly forgot what he'd meant to say and wrapped his arms around her small waist, gluing their bodies together. She kissed him almost frantically, desperately wanting to be with him in a way she hadn't been in years. It wasn't the same when he hadn't been hers, but now he was.

Rory separated herself to pull off her shirt, and pulled him up so he could take off his. She only had a moment to admire his lean, hand muscles, making his chest look like carved marble, before he flipped them to lay her on her back. She lifted her hips as he pulled off her skirt, and reached to pull him back up to her, but he paused. "God, you're beautiful," he breathed, and bent to kiss her thighs, her hips, her chest, her collarbone, the tenderest kiss placed on her stomach, murmuring praise all the way. She sighed and tried not to squirm. 

"Shut up, Huntzberger," she finally said, and pulled his lips to hers with one hand while reaching for the button of his pants with the other. He grinned against her mouth. "I love you, Ace." 

She smiled, and reached behind her to unhook her bra. "Show me."


	2. Fall - October

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kidney beans? Hep Alien lullabies? Baby names? Confrontations?

"We are NOT naming our baby after a war reporter!"  
"But Christiane is a beautiful name! And it could be Christian if it's a boy."  
"No, Rory."  
"Ugh, fine."  
Rory pouted, and Logan smirked, leaning back into the chair.

  
A blonde receptionist poked her head out the door. "Ms. Gilmore? Dr. Geller will see you now."  
Rory and Logan exchanged a brief look of "here we go", then rose to enter the office.  
"Rory!" Paris exclaimed. "I can't believe it! You and Huntzberger. Well, I just had to see you myself. I don't normally do day-to-day things like check-ups, but you're a special patient."  
"Thanks, Paris," Rory responded. "We wanted the best. Or I wanted the best, and Logan wanted the most expensive."  
"Listen Ace, what costs the most tends to be the best option is all I'm saying."  
"Rich Boy's not wrong," Paris said knowingly, then nodded towards the exam room door. "Go get settled, and I'll be there in a minute."

Once Paris had set Rory up, Logan was leaning eagerly over the table, looking at the screen. A wave of emotion washed over him and Rory when the image appeared, something unnamed that is unique to parents, and passed through their bodies at their connected hands.

Paris was oblivious to the two turning into each other and smiling, and kept looking at the image. She then swiveled in her chair towards the couple, business-like, and scribbled on the chart she held.  
"Okay, so the baby is a little less than two months along, the size of a kidney bean. It's the end of October now, so I'd put the conception at early September. Does that sound right?"

  
Rory and Logan both nodded, and Rory looked awed. "It's so tiny. A kidney bean! This is crazy."  
Logan saw that behind the joy there was a tiny hint of unease in her eyes, and squeezed her hand. "It's amazing." She smiled wider, and the crinkling corners of her eyes seemed to erase the worry in them.

They took the photos immediately to Luke's, where Lane and Lorelai were ordering lunch. Logan sat and watched as Rory passed them around, and supposed that what he was feeling was like a proud father.

He allowed that title to sink in for the first time. Father. His father hadn't been much of an example, and neither had his father's father. Rory didn't have much of a father figure, either; Christopher was a small part of her life, and Luke was the closest thing she had. Rory had a great example to work off of as a mother, but him? He had nothing. He would be taking fatherhood in baby steps, no pun intended, and figuring it out as he went along. But he could do it. Where Rory was involved, he thought he could probably do anything.

He snapped out of it just as Rory turned to him. "What do you think? Hep Alien lullabies?"  
Lane was looking at him expectantly. "I know it sounds weird, but Zach actually does some mean James Taylor. The twins loved it. There's instrumentals, too, for when you get sick of Mozart."

  
Rory looked amused, and glanced at Logan, but answered for him. "That sounds great, Lane. Thank you." He grinned and shook his head, chuckling to himself.  
When they'd finished lunch - which for Rory was four pancakes, bacon, and eggs - the four of them gathered their belongings. Rory and Lorelai headed out first, distracted by their high-speed discussion, but Lane grabbed Logan's arm when he made to follow them.

  
"Woah, that's quite a grip for such a small woman," Logan remarked, rubbing his arm pointedly. Lane stood with her arms crossed. "You know Rory loves you, right?"  
"Well, I hope so," Logan said. "I'm kind of counting on that."  
"Do you love her?" She prompted, ignoring his attempt at humor.  
He was taken aback. Lane was Rory's best friend, and he'd spent time with her before, but that felt like a very big and very personal question. After a moment's pause, he met her stern gaze. _Mrs. Kim would be proud,_ he thought.  
"Yes." He cleared his throat. "Yes, I love her. I've loved her since I was 22 years old. I could never stop." He responded quietly.

Lane nodded and relaxed her posture a little, seeming satisfied. Softer now, she opened her mouth for another question. "Are you gonna stick around, then? Because she didn't need you anymore, but now I think she's starting to again. So are you gonna be here?"  
He nodded without hesitation. "I'm not going anywhere."  
She grinned quite suddenly at that, all her accusatory posture gone, and linked her arm in his. "Alright, then. We can be friends." And she led him out of the diner to catch up with Rory and Lorelai.

 


	3. Fall - November

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a thing happens.

Rory lay and watched him as he typed. Logan had always sat up straight when he worked at his laptop, even in bed.  His expression and posture was as businesslike and formal at home as in the office - until he looked at her. She pushed herself up to lean against him, nestling her head in the crook of his shoulder and placing a kiss on his neck. His body relaxed into hers instinctively, but he rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Ace, we've talked about this. I can't focus on work if you're this close to me."

Rory just looked back at him, then asked it point-blank. "Why haven't you told your friends?"

Logan stilled, then closed his laptop and pushed it away. "I'm not _not_  telling them."

"But you're not telling them."

"Why are you asking, Rory?"

"Because I'm a journalist, investigating is what I do," she responded, her tone light but clearly not moved from her inquiry.

Logan's jaw was tight, though the corner of his lips twitched upward at her attempt at humor, and he didn't look at her. "Honestly Rory, I don't really know."

"Well, think harder." She was careful not to sound angry, and she wasn't, but didn't want him to think she wasn't serious.

He rubbed his jaw and took a deep breath. "I guess... I guess it feels like even though we've all got jobs and homes now, it seems like having a kid means we're really done. Like we're all grown up, officially, and everything will be different."

Rory's face softened, and she placed her hand on Logan's arm. "It already is different, Logan. When's the last time you woke up hungover, or had a one-night stand, or bought something irresponsible? Besides the night with me, I mean."

He wrapped his hand over hers, covering it, and nodded. "I know. But it's still sort of like we're only accountable to ourselves. It's not that I want that, it's just that the alternative scares me."

"Being accountable to me scares you?"

"No, no, that's not what I mean. I mean..." He made a sound of frustration and swung himself out of bed, then began to pace. Rory sat up in bed, watching him and waiting. He had his head down, and walked the length of the room several times before he looked up.

"I guess I just mean that I'm scared. I'm freaking out too much to let anyone in on it. I have no idea what I'm doing, Rory, and once I tell Robert and Colin and Finn it's really out there that I'm gonna be a father and I don't know how to do it." 

He looked so vulnerable, so unlike his usual confident self, that she was hardly conscious of moving before she was across the room, embracing him. He buried his head in her neck and inhaled deeply. Rory held him tight for a moment, then let go. Hands on either side of his face, she gave him a small but reassuring smile. "I'm supposed to be the one that overthinks things, Logan. Quit stealing my act." He chuckled quietly, nodded, and kissed her, slowly and deeply.

"Thanks, Ace."

"Anytime, Huntzberger."

 

* * *

 

Surprisingly, it had been Finn that reacted the most strongly. While Colin and Robert looked as though they were about to congratulate Logan, Finn had shoved him. "How could you be so irresponsible, so inconsiderate?" He'd demanded. "How could you get Rory in this situation? She deserves better than to get knocked up by the likes of you, you ass!"

Logan had just sat, dumbfounded. As the words sank in, they began to sting. Colin and Robert looked between him and Finn, clearly deciding which to tackle first, then apparently came to the conclusion that Finn was the immediate problem. 

"Listen, man, it sounds like him and Rory are gonna work at this! She isn't a victim here, it does take two you know." Colin offered.

"They're in love, Finn, it's a good thing that they're finally going to stick with it." Robert added.

Finn took a deep breath, then looked at Logan. "You're going to have a proper go at it? Treat her right, no more of this working all the time, giving ultimatums nonsense?"

Logan nodded, and said simply, "I love her. We're happy."

Finn relaxed and settled back into his chair. In the dim light of the bar, Logan could see the wheels turning as Finn mulled the situation over. He'd always been protective of Rory.

Then he raised his hand to catch the bartender's attention. "A round over here, please, and keep them coming. My mates and I have some celebrating to do!"

 

That night, once slightly inebriated, Logan had broached the topic of his proposal with them. Colin had immediately gotten on his phone to make the necessary arrangements, and presumably also to make some very expensive unnecessary arrangements. Robert had leaned in and demanded to run through the logistics of the plan. Finn had simply ordered some top-shelf liquor and sat back, looking disturbingly thoughtful. 

They finished in the early morning - Colin had bought the bar, so that they wouldn't close before the plans were finalized - and Logan stumbled home, pleasantly intoxicated but not too drunk. It occurred to him briefly as he made his way up the front steps that he referred to the Gilmore residence as home now, but he thought little of it. He made his way to Rory's room - she'd left the front door unlocked for him - and started to undress for bed. He must have been more drunk than he'd thought, because it was strangely difficult to remove his leather jacket.

Rory awoke as Logan fumbled in the dark of her bedroom. Although she was still sleepy, she had to suppress the urge to laugh out loud. There was a handsome, successful, intelligent, pulled-together, had she mentioned heartbreakingly handsome man stumbling off-balance in her childhood room, too drunk to remove his jacket. She dragged herself out of bed and padded over to him to yank the jacket none-too-gently off his arms. Rory wasn't awake enough to think about anything but getting him into bed with her so she could fall back asleep. She removed his shirt easily too. But then, when she pulled down his jeans, he tripped in his attempt to step out of them, falling unceremoniously to the floor with a loud  _thump_. Rory erupted into giggles, as did Logan, and a fit of giggles in a grown man is amusing enough to prompt even more laughter from the onlooker. After several minutes, they collapsed, chests heaving, over each other. Rory caught her breath and then groaned as she pushed herself up. She yanked Logan up by the arm - which took three or four tries - and the two stumbled to bed. Rory quickly fell asleep, but Logan outlasted her by a few minutes, and watched her. Her pale skin was nearly unmarked by the years he had known her; her contrastingly dark hair was splayed out on the pillow and falling into her face (he brushed it away); her eyebrows were thin arches over her round eyes; the fringe of long lashes made her eyes look innocent even when closed; the soft curve of her cheekbones matched the curve of her jaw, a bone structure which can only be described as elegant or aristocratic; her lips were small, pink, and full, almost absurdly sensual. Logan surrendered to unconsciousness with her peaceful face in his mind.

 

* * *

 

The next morning was like a scene from a movie. Rory somehow came in just as he woke up (well, a minute or two after, but no matter) and kissed him, presenting a cup of coffee and an Advil. He eagerly sipped the coffee, and she offered him breakfast.

"Luke made pancakes before he and Mom left for work. I can warm them up for you and add some eggs."  
Logan gave her a pointed look. "Okay, okay, no eggs cooked by me." she said defensively. "I'll see if there's anything else I can reheat."

When she came back, she brought a tray with a glass of juice, a stack of pancakes slathered in butter and syrup, some breakfast sausages, and a bowl of fruit (probably microwaved frozen berry mix, but he'd take it). "That's seven pancakes, Ace, I can't eat all that!"

"I know," she said, plopping down on the bed. She picked up a fork from the tray, one of two, and took a sizable bite of pancake. Logan laughed and shook his head, picking up the other set of silverware to dig into his breakfast.

He left later that morning, after taking a very enjoyable shower (not alone) and putting on fresh clothes. His clothes and other necessary belongings had arrived a few days after he had, and he now occupied one drawer and a few inches of closet space in Rory's small room.  
Once in town, he texted the boys, who would meet him at Luke's and proceed to the setup from there. Lane was on her way to Rory's, under the pretense of sharing pregnancy tips, to ensure that she didn't go into town. Most of Star's Hollow had been lured into the operation: Taylor had expedited the necessary permissions for decorating the town square; Luke was sending lunch to Rory so she wouldn't need to go out and feeding the helpers; Jackson had enlisted his florist friend; Kirk was overseeing the general hustle and bustle a bit over-enthusiastically but rather well; Lorelai had offered some of her staff and was putting up Colin, Finn, and Robert. (They were enjoying their stay so much already that Colin had tried to make an offer for the inn, but of course to no avail.)

Logan himself felt like he was back in the Life and Death Brigade. He was going over a plan with Colin, Finn, and Robert while extensive preparations were underway around them.  
"Well, boys, it's just like old times."  
"Hear, hear!" Robert said, raising his coffee mug. They laughed and cheered to that, then got down to business.   
"Robert, you're responsible for the first leg. You'll rendezvous with Colin at the Inn." Colin nodded. "Colin, you've got the Dragonfly itself. You're responsible for all of that." Robert nodded. "Finn, you're the last leg. You're taking care of the stretch from the Dragonfly to town." Finn nodded, grinning.   
"Alright men, we commence in ten hours. Let's get to work!"  
 

* * *

 

    
Logan had said he'd pick her up at seven. At exactly the moment that the clock changed to 7:00, she heard a knock on the door, and smiled to herself. He was an abnormally punctual person.

But when she opened the front door, it was Robert who stood on the porch, wearing a full tuxedo. He bowed slightly and held out his arm to her. "M'lady."  
Rory was still a little shocked, and thought to herself that she'd seen more of the Life and Death Brigade in four months than she had in the eight years before.  
She took his arm. "Thank you, sir." Rory briefly remembered a date with Robert in her Yale days - Logan had been uncontrollably jealous, which had made her mostly angry but also quite pleased. He walked her to a convertible in the driveway and opened the door for her. The engine was already running, and she laughed into the cool night air when he turned the radio up. "Did Logan tell you I love this song?" Robert just smiled, and started to sing along.   
_"Oh we can beat them!_  
_just for one day_  
_We can be heroes,_  
_just for one day."_  
The song ended just as they pulled into the Independence Inn. It was completely dark save a light coming from behind the front door. Robert escorted her to the door, knocked twice, then slipped away.

The door opened to reveal the front hall lit entirely by hundreds of candles. Colin stood in the center of the hall, also in a full tuxedo, and gestured her to come in with a swoop of his arm. "Welcome, my lady. I've been instructed to show you through these." He waved at the walls, which were covered in pictures, notes, and other miscellanea.  
Colin guided Rory to her left. "You know, this is definitely a fire hazard," she remarked, having recovered her wits. Colin shook his head and responded, "Leave it to you to take the romance out of the thing, Gilmore."  
He pointed at a note above her head, upon which was written in neat script, _"Now tell me that wasn't fun."_  
"First we have a bit from your first conversation in which you-"  
"Argued about Marty, I remember. Of course I remember."  
He smiled. "Next, we have the society that brought you two together, if I do say so myself." Rory smiled. The next two feet of wall space were occupied by photos of the Life and Death Brigade gathering she'd gone to for an article, with another note: _"What do you say, Ace? You in or out? - I'm in."_ Below them was a copy of the article, slightly brownish-yellow at the edges. Had he kept it all these years?  
Colin led her past the doorway that led to the reception desk and pointed to a photo just below the molding. "Now there's a blank period before this, where neither of you acted on your feelings for each other, but then there was your grandparents' party." Rory nodded slightly, absorbed in her memories. It was picture of her at the party her grandparents threw, when Logan had rescued her, she and Dean had broken up, and he'd comforted her. The next picture was of her grandparents' wedding party. She and Logan had danced, she'd confronted him, and they'd kissed for the first time.  
It went on and on, filling three walls. There were photos, notes referencing moments and conversations, articles she'd written, tickets and invitations from events or performances they'd gone to together. A note that said simply _"I like my research"_. The logo of the Yale coffee cart she went to every day in school, where he'd often bought her coffee, or had hung around waiting to see her. From an all-nighter they'd pulled getting out the Daily News: _"You saved my ass. - Infinitely worth saving."_ A photo probably from a Yale brochure of a courtyard where he'd kissed her dozens of times and walked her to classes. A note: _"You have to tell me why we're committing a felony before we do it, not that that's gonna stop us."_ A picture he'd taken of her at the pool house when she was living there, wearing only one of his button down shirts and laughing, making her face slightly blurry (she'd begged him not to keep those, but known he would ignore her.) A printout of the unkind article she'd written about one of his parties, which had made him angry but he'd then admitted it was because she was such a good writer. One of the cheesier "Get well soon" cards he'd received when he was in the hospital, which they'd laughed endlessly at. A Union Jack poster from the going-away party she'd thrown him. A picture of them, Lorelai, and Luke at the house in Martha's Vineyard. A piece of stationery from the hotel they'd spent the night at in Hamburg, after not seeing each other for nearly eight years.

And a copy of the ultrasound picture of their child, on a wall of its own. Rory felt tears well up in her eyes, overcome by the memories of their years together and by her overwhelming love for him and for the baby growing inside her. Colin squeezed her shoulder. She stood for a few moments, looking around, letting the memories soak in and mingle with the hopes of the future, then Colin led her out the door. Finn was waiting in a new car. It was unseasonably warm out, but he had the heat on, making her pleasantly warm as she sat and closed the car door.  
Rory wiped the tears from her face and smirked at him. "You know, this is the second time I've seen you in a few months. Soon these elaborate surprises won't be special anymore."  
"Now you know that could never happen, love. You love me too much." Finn replied lightheartedly, pulling out of the Inn.  
"You got me," Rory said. Finn had always been her favorite of Logan's Lost Boys (as she affectionately called them), and she always fell easily into casual, good-natured banter with him.  
"Congratulations, by the way," Finn said. He nodded at her stomach. "That little Huntzberger-Gilmore's gonna be one hell of a handful, but damn good looking." Rory laughed and thanked him. He was probably right, too.  
Halfway to town, Finn pulled over and drew a strip of fabric from his pocket. A blindfold. Rory knew better than to resist at this point, and wouldn't have anyway - whatever Logan was doing, she definitely wanted to play along.  
Finn helped her get out of the car and walked her around it. She could see some light at the edges of her blindfold, although she knew she was outside and it must have been nearly nine o'clock. He stepped behind her, removed the blindfold, and fell back quietly. She hardly registered the car driving away, in awe as she was.

The town square was practically drowning in flowers. She could see them because every rose, tulip (her favorite), and carnation was softly lit by the firefly lights strung around every lamppost and the entire gazebo. Logan stood in front of it, hands in his suit pockets, looking confident and nervous at the same time, being the only person she knew in the world who could do that.

She walked up to him slowly, and he met her halfway. "Hey, Ace."

She was speechless. He smiled and took her hand, and she followed him to the center of the gazebo, where he faced her and took her other hand.

"I know we haven't had the easiest relationship, and I know that that's partly my fault. But I also know that we're both at our best when we're together, and I never want to be away from you again. Those seven years without you were hell for me Rory, and I'm really hoping you missed me too." Rory nodded and sniffed, wiping tears from her eyes for the thousandth time that night. "Now sure it was a surprise, but I think this baby is the best thing that could've happened to us. I want to do this with you, Rory, I want to be us, for real. I'm never gonna back out from this. I know we've only been really together for two months, but I think this is how we're supposed to be. So just please, please say yes this time."

Then Logan lowered himself to one knee and produced a ring from his pocket. The same ring he'd offered her eight years ago. She hadn't been ready then, but she was more than ready now.  
Rory held out her hand, which was trembling slightly enough that she hoped he wouldn't notice, and he slid the ring on.  
Rory felt tears streaming down her face but was laughing in hysterical joy as she hugged him tightly, pressing their bodies together.

  
Then they both looked at each other. "Was that-" Logan started, looking at her with wide eyes. "I think so," Rory said, equally stunned. "But I think it's too early for this, I'm not sure."  
Logan dropped to his knees and placed his hands on her stomach, staring at it in wonder. A few seconds later Rory felt another kick. Logan looked up at her with tears in his eyes, and kissed her stomach before rising and kissing her fiercely.

  
Yes, she was ready - and god, she couldn't wait!

 


	4. Winter - December

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snow starts to fall and things start to fall into place.

Rory had inherited her mother's opinion of winter. After the first snow, Rory and Logan had demanded a day in the park, next to which there was a hill just steep enough for sledding. Logan tried to talk Rory out of it, citing potential injuries, and when she refused to be dissuaded had wrapped his body protectively around hers and tensely allowed their sled to be pushed off. Rory was laughing in exhilaration at the bottom of the hill, though, and his stress vanished when he saw her grin. Luke and Lorelai watched them from a nearby bench, leaning into each other against the mid-December cold.  
Watching the couple kiss and throw snowballs, Lorelai looked at Luke.  
"Do you wish we'd had a kid?"  
He didn't look taken aback, but rather thoughtful, and rubbed one gloved hand over his face. "I don't know, really, I guess I might have. It was just never a real option for us, you know? Definitely isn't now."  
"Yeah. I just didn't want you to miss out on anything because of me."  
"I'm not. I have April, and besides, I was there for most of Rory's childhood anyway."  
"You were great, Luke," Lorelai said sincerely. She remembered coffees on the house when she was rushing to a daycare pick up, breakfasts brought over on busy mornings, messes cleaned without complaint, meals made to the specific demands of a child.  
Luke smiled and pulled her in for a kiss. A moment later, he said,"You know, I'm glad they're happy. I don't know if I trust the guy yet, but they're good together."  
Lorelai sighed, content. "Yeah, they are."

Rory had dealt beautifully with her pregnancy until her baby bump started to show. Then, as Logan learned, his beautiful, confident fiancée (fiancée!) was more or less grumpy all the time.  
He tried to coax her out of it. "You look beautiful Ace, I swear." "This is what you're supposed to look like, you're growing our child inside you!" "It's really not even that noticeable yet!" (At "yet" Rory had burst into tears and flung herself down onto the bed). Rory Gilmore wasn't vain, but it was easy to be unconcerned with your looks when you were perpetually doe-eyed, enjoyed naturally luminous skin, and had the metabolism of a very athletic ten-year-old. She had never had to deal with body image before.  
Lorelai, at Logan's somewhat desperate request, had tried to talk to her.  
"Listen, Rory. I was a shallow, slutty sixteen-year-old when I got pregnant. Believe me, I went through this, and ten times worse. But trust me, it's worth it! You know it is."  
Rory had nodded, but the pout didn't leave her face.  
"Rory, listen to me. This doesn't matter. No one thinks you look big. All they're thinking about is that the miracle of life or whatever is going on inside you, and that's all you should be thinking about too."  
Rory had sighed and nodded again. "I know."  
It didn't work. However, there were two upsides to a pregnancy body, which Logan did his best to point out whenever he could. The glowing thing Rory was 100% on board with, but the bigger boobs, which her fiancé was quite fond of, irritated her to no end. Logan watched her over the top of the newspaper as she got dressed one morning, struggling to clasp her bra. "Damn it! Stupid huge boobs, none of my bras fit. I'm gonna be going out in public in a sports bra." Logan chuckled, and admired the way a too-tight bra and too-tight shirt looked on her. Despite his protestations, she wore only oversized shirts and baggy dresses from then on.

The incessant moodiness only stopped one day after she got a call. Logan was waiting at Luke's to get brunch with her, and she sat down at the table in a shirt she wasn't swimming in looking perfectly content, even happy. Logan had decided not to mess with it and they'd gotten through half the meal before his curiosity got the better of him.  
"Well I was waiting for you to ask!" Rory exclaimed. She leaned in. "You won't even believe it, it's almost too good to be true."  
Logan blinked at her. "I'm in suspense here, Ace."  
"The New Yorker called. They want me to do a few more pieces for them, and then the company might consider keeping me on after!"  
Logan nearly knocked the table over rushing to hug her. "That's incredible Rory! I knew this would happen. Oh god, I'm so proud of you Ace. Not too shabby!"  
Rory practically squealed. "I'm so excited I feel like I could scream. And relieved! Oh my god, I'm so relieved." The couple were both grinning and laughing so enthusiastically, Luke had to ask them three times not to alarm the other customers.

Things got better after that. Rory spent most of her time writing and whining about not being allowed to drink coffee. Logan spent most of his time working remotely and hiding the coffee, to Lorelai's great irritation. They spent their days in the bedroom, living room, and Luke's, sharing meals chatting occasionally but mostly sitting in companionable silence, always close together. Once the Christmas decorations had gone up, Rory could almost always be found in the armchair across from the tree. She loved to look at the lights when she was thinking, and it was the only chair that didn't make her back hurt. (Backaches were another aspect of pregnancy that Rory loathed.) Their days were peaceful, productive, and filled with an almost overwhelming kind of quiet, ordinary happiness.

  
On one such day, Rory and Logan were sitting in the living room, each in their own bubble, as they were accustomed to being.  
"Logan?"  
He grunted in response from the couch across from her, where he was working.  
"I don't wanna be pregnant when I get married."  
Logan looked up and closed his laptop, then came to sit on the arm of her chair, where she'd been reading "What to Expect When You're Expecting." For the third time.  
"You want to wait?" He asked, brow furrowed.  
"Yeah. Can we? I know it's not really a shotgun wedding, but it's not how I pictured our wedding, and I just feel like enough of my life already isn't how I pictured it." Logan looked away, and was quiet for a moment. Then, he turned to her, and placed his hands on either side of her face. Looking into her eyes, he said quietly, "All I want is to be married to you. As long as I get that, I don't care when or where or how it happens."  
A small smile touched Rory's lips, and he quickly kissed them. He loved her smiles. "Thank you."  
"Anything, Ace. Of course." Logan rubbed her shoulders and Rory relaxed into him. A minute passed, then:  
"So you've pictured our wedding?"  
Rory buried her face in her hands. "Ugh, you caught that."  
Logan grinned smugly. "C'mon, 'fess up."  
"Well, after that proposal, I thought about it a lot. And then after Hamburg, I just kept thinking about what my life might be like if we'd gotten married. It was hard not to picture it."  
"Give me some details, I'm intrigued."  
"No! We are not talking about my fantasy wedding. You're gonna laugh. Go back to work."  
"I promise to only laugh if it's really, really ridiculous. Please?"  
Rory groaned. "Fine. First, I kind of see it happening in the town square, in the gazebo. I don't really like churches, and I don't know, I just saw it there."  
Logan nodded. "Reasonable. Continue." He gestured for her to go on.  
"Okay. It's kind of big, actually? There's so many people I want there. We would have a big party, like Liz and TJ's, and Lane's band could play. But there's a DJ too, obviously."

And so Rory went on, detailing her dream dress, the decorations, the flowers, the music. Logan was enraptured, listening, watching her lips forming the words and her eyes light up when she talked about something she really loved. He loved this woman more than he could believe.


	5. Winter - January

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rory and Logan begin with the New Year in bliss, but can it stay that way? Just kidding, of course it can, this is pure fluff.

Logan began the New Year with his lips on Rory's and his arms wrapped around her. He considered this to be a very good sign for the coming year. He then placed a light kiss on her growing stomach, where a baby was kicking away. It was heaven, except better, because it was real, and also because Colin, Finn, and Robert were there to liven up the party (and they certainly wouldn't be joining them up in the white cloudy place, as they themselves would tell you).  
Lane and Zach had played earlier but went home around ten to relieve the babysitter, which unfortunately was just about when the party got good. Logan was involved, so of course it was extravagant: he'd rented a huge penthouse and invited all of Rory's friends (even ones she hadn't seen since college), Honor and her husband (who brought their friends and, as it turned out, were very fun drunks), his work friends, and half of the Life and Death Brigade. There were two champagne fountains, speakers as tall as the ceilings, and lights better suited for a nightclub. They weren't the most fun couple at the party, however, since Rory couldn't drink and Logan was too absorbed in her to be his usual entertaining self, but neither of them cared. They were in a perfect bubble.

Logan resisted any sharp objects that might threaten that bubble with all his might. His father was just such an object. Honor had accidentally let slip that he and Rory were engaged, and now Mitchum wouldn't stop leaving voicemails about pre-nups and other cold, business-like things. Logan had only listened to one and had no plans to listen to any more, lest he become angry enough to respond (thus bursting the bubble). Rory didn't know, and he wasn't going to tell her.  
That is, until Honor called to say they were on their way to drag him and Rory to lunch. Honor, her husband, and his parents themselves knocked at Lorelai's door five minutes later and Rory went to answer the door, but Logan sprinted to throw himself in front of it.  
"Rory, I am so sorry. My dad wants a pre-nup and he's going to ambush us."  
To Rory's credit, she barely looked taken aback at all. "Of course he is. I can handle him, Logan." And she pushed him aside to greet his family with a warm smile.  
Ten minutes after that, they were sitting in a fancy restaurant in a very uncomfortable silence. Shira finally broke it by asking how far along Rory was.  
"Oh, a little more than four months. It's kicking away constantly now!"  
"Oh, but you look wonderful," Shira remarked. "I suppose the glowing isn't just a myth, then! I was so nauseous for my pregnancies, I was mostly sickly green."  
Rory made a sympathetic noise and went on chatting away about babies and pregnancy and motherhood while Honor listened attentively. Evidently, a baby Huntzberger wiped away Shira's reservations about whether Rory was proper. This unfortunately left Logan, Josh, and Mitchum staring determinedly at the bread basket.  
"Well, no sense putting it off any longer." Mitchum said, sitting back in his chair, arms folded. One could see how he'd become a formidable business man. "Logan, you need to take some measures if you're gonna get married to Rory here."  
Logan pinched his fingers at the bridge of his nose, as he did when he was exasperated. "You should know by now that it's not happening, Dad. There won't be a prenuptial, case closed. We don't need it."  
"You and Odette had one!"  
"Yeah, but she was a gold-digging society girl, so we needed one!"  
"Any Huntzberger needs one! This isn't about you, son, it's about the family name!" Mitchum was keeping his voice low, but there was no mistaking his tone.  
The women had gone silent by this point. Rory reached under the table to squeeze Logan's hand, which had been gripping his chair so hard his knuckles were white. He took a deep breath.  
"Dad, Rory won't do it."  
"It's fine, Logan," Rory interjected.  
"What?" He looked at her in shock.  
"I thought about it while you two were, um, talking, and I really don't mind. It's not like we're ever gonna split up, Logan, you know that."  
Logan's face softened at that, but he wasn't swayed. "I know, Rory, of course I know that, but it's wrong. It makes this a business transaction."  
"As opposed to a legal contract? Marriage is a state institution already, don't forget that." Logan gave her a "seriously?" look. She looked at his father.  
"I'll do it."  
Logan continued to protest as Mitchum pulled an envelope out of his briefcase until Rory had signed all three dotted lines. He slumped, defeated.  
"Great!" Honor said. "Now can we please eat?"

The rest of the lunch was as pleasant as it could be with Mitchum Huntzberger involved. Rory, Shira, and Honor chatted away like best friends (which Logan knew to be his sister's effect), with Honor's good-natured husband occasionally chiming in. Logan joined in conversation with Josh and his father occasionally, but mostly watched Rory: every time the topic of pregnancy came up, she would place her hand absentmindedly over her stomach and smile. He could see she wasn't conscious of it, which made it all the more endearing. She was a mother now, the mother of his child. He hadn't thought she could be any more beautiful, but then there was this.

They sat together later, Logan writing a report and Rory working on the latest chapter of her book. She was staring thoughtfully into space, hands still poised over the keyboard.  
"It's been quite a year, huh?"  
"You haven't really told me about it, you know."  
"Well, I've been a little distracted with all the complete happiness and such," Rory responded with a smile, leaning over to kiss him.  
"Well, I still wanna know!"  
"Alright, let's see." Rory sighed and closed her laptop. "Well, there was Paul. That was a disaster."  
"The boyfriend you forgot about? Yeah, I'd call that disastrous."  
Rory hit him playfully on the arm. “Shut up. Oh, there was Naomi Shropshire, that was a mess too. She's crazy.” Logan nodded.  
“Then there's us not getting our shit together for months.”  
Logan looked slightly offended. “It worked out, didn't it?”  
“It did,” Rory answered, kissing him lightly. “Oh, god, and there was the wookie!”  
“The wookie?”  
“I was working on a piece in New York interviewing this line of nerds at a comic store, and long story short my first one night stand was with a guy in a wookie costume.” Rory explained.  
Logan laughed for a good minute. “Did he take the costume off at least?” He asked playfully, chest heaving.  
“Yes!” Rory glared at him. “God, it was awful, though. And that piece I was working on? So ridiculous."

Rory and Logan chatted on for hours about their years, neither one hung up on its disasters, because they knew the year ahead would be extraordinary.


	6. Winter - February

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Baby decisions, birthdays, and bed-and-breakfasts.

Rory counted herself lucky that in months, she'd hardly had one day where she wasn't happy. She wasn't as tired as she'd been during the first few months, so she'd had more time to work on her book and was nearly halfway done. She was partly dreading its completion though; she'd seen the publishing world, and she wasn't ready to deal with that yet. But with a little extra energy and it seemed like more positive hormones (translation: she was horny all the time, and the orgasms were amazing), everything was more than good.

Rory had decided that Logan was the perfect person to do this with. Not even because they'd been in love for almost a decade, although that helped, but because he was the most supportive and helpful father-to-be that she could possibly have. He noticed her ankles starting to swell up and now insisted he help her elevate her feet when she worked; he kept her in constant supply of snacks, tea, and whatever she was craving at the moment; and (and this was Rory's favorite) he pretty much worshipped her. Not in a weird way, just in the sense that her hair was shinier, her breasts were bigger, her skin glowed, and she was on the curvier side now, and Logan was a huge fan of these changes. If he'd been attracted to her before, this was something else entirely. It also didn't hurt that it felt like her nerve endings were on the surface of her skin, and every time he touched her a shock went through her body.

So because Logan was so perfect, as Lane and even Paris had observed (“Even Doyle wasn't that good, and I had him wrapped around my finger”), she was resolved to throw him a fabulous birthday party. She was hammering out the final details now, emailing back and forth with Honor. February was a busy month: tomorrow they had the 20-week ultrasound, then on the 8th it was Logan's birthday, and then there was Valentine's to be dealt with. She was leaving Valentine’s up to Logan, of course, because she knew he'd want to do something romantic and ridiculous, but the birthday was her area of expertise.

Logan got back late that evening from a dinner meeting and flopped down on the bed, throwing his arm over his eyes with a groan. 

“Hey now mister, I’m the one growing a living person inside me, let's keep the groaning in check.” She was kidding, of course, and saw Logan smile. 

“How is the person-growing coming along?”

“Well you know, it's funny you should mention it,” Rory said with a smirk, “But you may remember we have a big appointment tomorrow.”

“Yeah…”

“And at this appointment we need to decide if we should find out the gender.”

“Wait, I thought gender was a social construct?”

“Hush.” Rory was used to his teasing. “So what do you wanna do?”

“It's up to you, Ace.” He replied. 

Rory looked at him, trying to gauge which way he was leaning and failing. “I want to find out.”

“Oh thank god, me too.” Logan let out a breath and Rory jumped (well, jumped may be too strong a word, she was quite pregnant after all) into his arms with a laugh.

In Paris’s office the next morning, they were told as usual that everything’s perfect, no need to worry, baby’s growing well, etc. She asked a moment into the ultrasound if they'd like to know the gender, at which the couple nodded enthusiastically.

“Alright, let's see…” Paris fell quiet for a split-second before turning to Rory and Logan with a small, very Paris-like, but genuine smile. “Congratulations, you're having a baby girl!”

Rory and Logan beamed at each other. Logan placed his hands on either side of his fiancée’s ever-expanding belly, looking at their growing daughter with the awed, blissful expression he wore so often now.

  
A baby girl. He hoped she looked just like her mother.

 

 

* * *

 

On February 8th, 2017, Logan was at HPG’s New York office, which he had arranged so that he would have some time with no mention of his impending old age. His father could be relied upon not to notice it. He'd had to go anyway to arrange for his leave of absence once the baby was born, which he hadn't told Rory about. She'd tell him not to stop working for her, even though she'd want him to, because she would feel guilty about asking him for something like that. It was easier just to do it. 

When he got home that evening it was dinner time, which was quite the affair in the Gilmore household (as all meals were), so he was a little surprised to find the lights off and no one home. Just as he put down his briefcase he got a text from Rory: _Hey, there was an emergency at the Inn and I'm helping my mom. Come by for dinner when you get home!_ Logan smiled as he read and realized the reason for the quiet house. It was cute that she thought she was being sneaky, and he was happy to go along with it.

When he walked in the door of the Inn, he was greeted with dozens of shouts of “Surprise!” and an enormous crowd of smiling faces.

“Happy 35th, Logan,” Rory said with a grin and that sparkle in her eye that promised an excellent night for him. It was duly noted.

He raised his eyebrows, but smiled. “Jeez, Ace, don't say that too loud.” She rolled her eyes and kissed him on the cheek before surrendering him to the crowd.

Robert, Colin, and Finn came up to him a moment later. “Sorry about this, Logan,” Finn said. “Rory wouldn't let us throw you a proper party.” 

“That's alright, Finn,” Logan said with a chuckle. “Save it for the bachelor party.”

It looked like Finn had forgotten all about that exciting prospect, as he clapped Robert and Colin on the back. “That's right, isn't it? Come along men, we've got brainstorming to do.”

Logan sought Rory out of the crowd a few minutes later, where she was talking to Lane, and pulled her into a hallway. “Thanks for the party, Ace,” he said, and pressed his lips to hers. She instantly twined her fingers into his hair and he held her face in his hands, kissing her like he knew she'd wanted him to all day. She let out a quiet moan when he moved to her neck, pressing open-mouthed kisses to the sensitive skin there and licking and nipping at her throat and collarbones. He wasn't sure if he'd pushed her against the wall or she'd pulled him, but he braced one hand against it as he continued his ministrations. He moved one hand from the small of her back to slide up her leg beneath her dress, teasing his fingers toward her inner thigh before moving to grab her ass. She opened her legs a little, unconsciously, and pulled him closer into her, and she could feel his excitement growing between her legs. She pulled his lips back to hers and traced them with her tongue, begging access that he granted, and they kissed for a minute more with her nails digging into his chest and back. She flattened her palm against him and pushed him away. “Don't you think this is inappropriate?”

“Hey, it's my party,” he responded with a smirk. “I'll kiss my fiancée if I want to.”

She groaned. “Have I ever told you how much I like you in a suit?”

He grinned. “A few times, but I don't mind hearing it again.”

Rory grabbed his tie and yanked him back to her. Her lips left his to move to his ear, biting it lightly and making him shiver at her warm breath, and whispered, “You look so sexy and powerful in your suit and tie. Turns me on.”

Logan grabbed her hair and pulled her back to crash his lips onto hers. This time he let his fingers ghost over her bra and the outside of her panties and felt her tense with anticipation. He inhaled sharply through his nose and pulled his hands away. “You're gonna have to wait until we get home, Ace. I can't do what I want to do to you in a hallway with twenty people in the next room.”

Rory sighed in annoyance. “Fine, but it better be good if you're gonna tease me like that.”

“You know it will be.” Logan smirked at her. She did. 

Rory took a deep breath to calm herself. “Alright, then I'm showing you part of your birthday present now. Stay here.”

She came back a minute later with a folder. “Aw, Ace, papers? For me? You shouldn't have,” he said playfully, wondering what the folder might hold. 

“Here,” she said handing it to him. “Open it.”

So he did, and found pages and pages of pictures of houses. There was information attached to each, and there were at least 15 homes.  
“Ace…”

“We should have our own place,” she interjected. “We're starting a life together. So I looked up some places not far from here for us to go see. Besides,” she added, “I'm tired of having to be quiet whenever my mom is home.” She gave him a coy smile, which he quickly pressed a kiss to. 

“Thank you, Rory. I can't wait.” He really couldn't.


	7. Spring - March

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> House hunting and an unexpected visitor.

Rory and Logan were headed out house hunting on the first clear day of the month, and were having lunch at Luke’s while they argued.

“It's too big, Logan. I don't want my kid to grow up in some mansion.”

“I grew up in a mansion and I turned out fine!”

Rory gave him a sharp look. “Yeah, and how was that for you?”

Logan slumped. “Fine, no more than four bedrooms.”

“Three,” Rory said, crossing her arms.

“Fine, three bedrooms.”

Rory smiled beatifically. “Now was that so hard?” Logan rolled his eyes. “Okay, so we’re down to six. The realtor is meeting us at this one.”

“Uh huh. And how did the realtor know this house would be on our list?”

“Because I gave her the addresses of these six yesterday.”

Logan laughed and put his arm around her. “You're pretty slick, Ace, making me think I had a say.” Rory just shrugged.

Their realtor was as realtor-y as a person could be. Linda McCord came well-recommended, well-dressed, and well-prepared, with an expensive tote purse full of folders and hair that would probably stay coiffed in a hurricane. She met them with “You must be the Huntzbergers!” and every bone in Rory's feminist-raised body ached to correct her, but Logan just laughed. “That's us,” he replied, smirking at his fiancée.

The first house was twenty minutes away from Stars Hollow, which Rory insisted was too far, so not even the exposed brick fireplace, spacious master bedroom, and two claw-foot tubs could persuade her to like it. The second house had no tubs at all, which Logan reminded Rory could be fixed, but she then reminded him that an open floor plan was a must, so that was out too. The third house was actually a contender: open floor plan, full-featured bathrooms, modern kitchen, spacious bedrooms. No fireplace, but Rory could live without that. The fourth she wouldn't even go in to see, and Logan had to admit that it was not at all as charming in person as it was online.

They pulled up to the fifth house around three in the afternoon. It was ten minutes from Lorelai’s house and still technically in Stars Hollow’s school district. There were three bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, and a huge yard. Rory was not an outdoors person by any means, but she and Logan agreed it was nice to look out the window and see something pretty and green. It was technically a Victorian, but Linda assured then everything had been updated several times, most recently only a year ago. There was a porch - that Logan insisted on, and Rory agreed - that wrapped around, and there was already a swing. Rory felt a smile creep over her face even before she walked in the door.  
It was an open floor plan with large windows, letting in floods of natural light, and the first floor had what Rory thought her more stylish friends would call ‘great energy’ or ‘flow.’ There was wooden molding in wide arches between rooms, so it was an open floor plan with the exception of the kitchen. Rory would have expected an old house to be darker and smaller-feeling, but the interior was just the right balance of modern minimalism and old-fashioned charm. The master bedroom was huge, and the other two bedrooms were also quite roomy; there was a cushioned window seat in a hall, which Rory could picture reading in; and the bathrooms had deep tubs as well as modern showers.

“This is it, Logan,” Rory whispered as they walked back downstairs. Linda was rattling on about charm and comfort and something about kids, and she'd tuned out.

“You think so?” Logan held out his hand to help her down the stairs.

“I know so. It's perfect.”

“I agree,” Logan said, squeezing her hand, and she smiled.

 

  
The couple told Linda they didn't need to see the last house and drove the short distance back home. As Logan helped Rory out of the car, she noticed an unfamiliar car in the driveway, and saw someone waiting on the porch.

Jess.

He stood when he spotted her and then fell completely still, shocked. “Woah.”

Logan looked at Rory, and she gave him a small nod. “Okay then, I'm gonna let you guys talk,” he said, and headed inside.

There was a very, very awkward silence. “Do you mind if I sit?” Rory finally asked.

“Oh, of course, of course.” Jess shook himself and stepped aside to let her sit down.

“Thanks, my feet are killing me,” she said as she sat down gratefully.

Jess sat beside her and fell silent again, and Rory waited.

“I didn't know,” Jess said after a long moment.

“I figured,” Rory replied with an awkward chuckle.

There was another pause. “So it's Logan’s?”

“Yup,” she said with a nod.

“Um, well, congratulations I guess,” he said, clearing his throats and looking anywhere but at her.

“Jess…”

He cut her off. “I'm sorry, this shouldn't be so uncomfortable, should it?”

She was startled, but answered, “No, it probably shouldn't.”

“Okay, then.” Jess took a deep breath and straightened up. “Boy or girl?”

“Girl.” Rory couldn't help but smile.

Jess nodded. “I'm happy for you,” he said genuinely, looking straight at her for the first time.

“Thanks, Jess,” she replied softly.

“Guess this is why I haven't seen you at the Gazette,” he remarked.

“You've been at the Gazette?”

“Yeah, just checking it out. I do publishing too, you know.” He cracked a small smile.

“Actually…” An idea had just occurred to Rory. “Are you staying in town now?”

“Yeah, in Luke's old apartment, why?”

“Doing anything?” She prompted.

“Nope, just writing.” He looked confused and apprehensive, having known her long enough to know her idea face.

“Wanna get back into publishing?” Rory asked eagerly.

“I… What…. Oh,” Jess realized what she was getting at. “You mean the Gazette? Seriously? C’mon, you know me better than that.”

“But you'd be doing me a huge favor! I need someone I trust to run the office for the next few months, and you'd get to be involved in publishing again.”

“Rory, it's the Stars Hollow Gazette. I do literature and poetry, not town newspapers.” Jess was looking at her like she was crazy, but Rory was persistent.

“Well, branch out a little. And you could make it edgier if you want, as long as it's nothing crazy.”

Jess ran his hands through his hair and looked at Rory. A brief flicker of affection ran through her at the familiar mannerism. “Just until you've had a couple months with the baby?”

“Of course! August, September at the latest.” Jess was quiet a moment, considering, and finally sighed.

“Okay, I'll do it.”

“Yes!” Rory hugged him as best she could and he chuckled. “I'll email everyone and tell them you're coming in tomorrow. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“Yeah, yeah. Talk to you later, Rory.” Jess shrugged off her thanks and stood to head out. As he walked to the driveway, he turned back in time to see her close the front door behind her. Jess shook his head and kept walking. At least now it could finally be over for him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're officially more than halfway through the book! Crazy.


	8. NOT a chapter (sorry. please read though!)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If you're one of the lovely, lovely people that's been asking me to update, read this!

SO.

 

I've said this to a few of you, but I haven't watched Gilmore Girls in ages and I've just totally lost inspiration for this fic. Also, I'm a freshman in college, and I am.... struggling. That being said, I don't wanna totally abandon this story, because A) I hate when writers abandon fics I'm reading (even though I totally get it) so I don't wanna do that to y'all and B) I still have all these outlining documents and drafts of future chapters and it would be a shame to waste the ~~way too many~~  hours I spent on them.

 

So here's how we proceed -

1\. If you guys have ideas, whether it's just a line of dialogue or a vague concept or a whole storyline, I want to hear them! [Message me on tumblr](http://fantxsticbeasts.tumblr.com/) (which you should do anyway, because I love to chat and because I will write literally any prompt you throw at me) or comment on here if there's something you'd like to see in the story. I still have so much love for Rory/Logan/GG in general but I am lacking in content, so use me! I might write that thing you wanna see!

2\. I'll revisit the drafts I have and post whatever I can soon. It'll likely be more like snapshots, not as cohesive and fleshed out, unless I get back in the groove. But better than nothing right?

3\. So  _ **please**_ , any feedback or thoughts you have, I want to hear them! See you guys again soon (you can subscribe to be notified when I post the next chapter).

 

Endless love and appreciation, xxx


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